


Tea And Makeup

by ShahHira



Series: The Jester's Quarry [6]
Category: JUDGE EYES: 死神の遺言 | Judgment, 龍が如く | Ryuu ga Gotoku | Yakuza (Video Games)
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Makeup, Mika - Freeform, Misunderstandings, mlm/wlw solidarity, the hostess from queen rouge, to the point of not spoilery at all, uninformed discussions of makeup, very vague spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22915435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShahHira/pseuds/ShahHira
Summary: Hoshino gets a text from Saori and, in true Hoshino fashion, worries immensely.
Relationships: Hoshino Issei/Sugiura Fumiya, Shirosaki Saori/Mika
Series: The Jester's Quarry [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603453
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	Tea And Makeup

**Author's Note:**

> I thought of more ideas!! I know these last few entries haven't had much sugiura content in them, but I really want to tell the stories of other judgment characters as well, and it eventually all ties in at the end. Saori has made an impression on me since I first saw her and especially when she met with mika-san and became a gay mess so here's a little exploration of her! The vaguest of spoilers inside: it does reference in-game story stuff but it doesn't really make sense out of context so I think anybody should be good reading it. I don't know much about makeup, I hope it came out alright!

For the fifteenth time that day, Hoshino checks his phone to view the message he has burned into his memory since last week. He gulps down a nervous swallow, and hazards a light knock on the apartment door. It opens.

“Hoshino-kun.”

“Saori-san. I got your message. You wanted my opinion on something?”

She nods, impassive as ever. He enters.

_ Cute, _ Hoshino observes his surroundings as he takes his shoes off. Small place, pretty well put together. As is fitting for his senpai.

She presents a tray to him. “Have some tea.”

He takes a cup and the accompanying snacks, hurriedly thanking her. That being said, an invitation to Saori-san's place is admittedly daunting for Hoshino to accept. They’re colleagues and have forged a friendship over time, but Hoshino still feels there’s a chasm that’s yet to be crossed beyond mutual understanding. 

In any case Hoshino breaks the question, “Any reason why this couldn’t be discussed in the office?”

“It’s… personal.”

The first vestiges of hesitation creep past her gaze. Hoshino examines her closely. 

“Finish your tea,” she abruptly says, then retreats to her bedroom. 

Did he say something wrong already? That swift fear makes him disappointed in himself, and he wonders if she expects him to see himself out  – until Saori comes back holding a bag.

“I asked Mafuyu if I could borrow her makeup. I’ve been trying to get into it lately.”

Her expression is still closed off, like there’s something she wants to say but she’s waiting on some sort of signal.

“Oh!” Hoshino has no idea what signal that may be, but he takes that as a win regardless. “That’s nice.”

“Ever since taking up the undercover hostess role, it’s made me curious in learning how to do my own makeup. It’s a lot harder than it looks.”

"That's true, it does look like a lot it takes quite a bit of skill. But I don't see how I fit in this whole situation…?"

"You are going to be my test subject."

"Eh!? Test subject?"

The choice of words gives him flashbacks to the AD-9 case. Saori must see this because she continues explaining, “My own attempts at putting on makeup on myself have been less than successful. I thought perhaps a fresh perspective might give me the inspiration I am missing. That’s where you come in.” She chuckles. “Maybe guinea pig is a more accurate term.”

“So what you’re saying is you wanna practice putting makeup… on me?”

She nods, loosening her features visibly from her tight control. Hoshino has never seen her so untethered, hanging by a thread on somebody else’s whim. He realizes he needs to choose his next words carefully.

“It’s not what I was expecting when I got your message, that’s for sure. To be honest I thought it was a serious matter you needed my help on. I-I mean, what could you ever need from me? Haha.”

“Just your support. As a trusted friend.”

Trust. Is that what Saori sees in him? She must, because the sincerity open in her expression is as blunt as her words.

It fills Hoshino with a pride that makes him squeeze back happy tears. He claps his hands with way too much enthusiasm, grinning. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s begin!”

“I watched a few video tutorials. They said to start with foundation.” Saori takes out the correct bottle. “The blending took me a while to get used to but I think I have it down. Stay still, please.”

She dabs a few dots of liquid foundation around his face, rubbing them in with a cotton pad. He doesn’t consider himself a model or anything, but Hoshino holds a basic interest in taking care of his skin. And he’s proud to admit that he’s learned a little more about skincare than the average guy; he may not go to hostess clubs, but the nature of his profession means that a lot of hostesses come to  _ him _ . 

Having a massive reserve of useless facts stuffed in the back of his mind sometimes does come in handy. Hoshino’s glad he paid close attention to his one hostess client when she detailed her extensive makeup routine as part of her alibi. Going out in the rain in the middle of a hair-curling session was a recipe for a frizzy disaster…

“It’s evenly coated. Hoshino-kun, take a look.”

She hands him a mirror. Nothing that sticks out as a massive failure. “It’s pretty good,” he affirms. “Doesn’t quite match my original skin color but it’s the concept that we need to nail down, right?”

Saori looks pleased with herself. So far, so good. They can do this!

Saori’s hand dives deep inside the makeup bag  –  and comes out with fourteen different, uh, makeup utensils?

“Why does Mafuyu keep pencils in her bag.”

Saori drops them all on the table. They clatter.

“They’re soft. Why are they soft.” She pokes at one end of the pencil, grimacing when the color comes off on her finger. “You can’t write with these things. Utterly useless pencils.”

She sounds more offended than Hoshino has ever heard her in his life. It’s kinda scary. “Um, Saori-san, they’re eyeliner pencils.”

“Eyeliner… pencils?”

The way she says it means she’s never heard of those two words put together. "There are different types of soft pencils people use to put on makeup that needs more precision. Like around the eyes, for example.”

“So you’re saying this,” she picks up a random one, “is eyeliner?”

“Yeah.”

“I see. What about this.”

“For your eyebrows. See, it has a little brush on the end, too.”

“This.”

“That’s eyeliner, again.”

“It looks completely different.”

“Trust me, it’s for some part of your eye!”

“Alright. This?”

“It’s says, uh, lip liner.”

“...unnecessary but okay. This?”

“That I… don’t actually know.”

Behind her glasses her eye twitches. “If you said nostril liner I would’ve shoved it up – ” She stops abruptly, taking in a deep breath. “Mafuyu… this is torture...”

Hoshino has never heard her growl with such emotion before. She snatches up her phone, lips tightly pursed. “Mafuyu better have an explanation for this. How else am I supposed to – ”

“W-w-wait!”

Saori startles at Hoshino’s screeching plea.

“You can’t just do that!”

“Do what?”

“That! You know…” he supplies unhelpfully. Then he bites the bullet: “Call up your crush and just ask for makeup advice.”

…

…

“My what.”

“You’re doing this makeup stuff for somebody, right?” Hoshino’s gone into overdrive now, desperate to explain, “I mean, generally the reason why people change their appearance is to impress someone, and in your case you wanna impress Mafuyu-san, right? I don’t mean to assume but I’ve heard the way you talk about her you’ve got such a crush it’s honestly adorable you’re going through all this trouble for her and it’d be such a wonderful surprise so we need to put our 100% in to really get her reeling!”

“You think… I'm interested in… Mafuyu?”

There are a lot of things to be confused about Hoshino’s impassioned speech but that really catches her off-guard. Based on the increasingly panicked glances Hoshino gives her she’s hit the mark.

“Um, yes. Don’t you? I figured that’s the whole reason why you called me here, to help you find the best way to gain Mafuyu’s attention?”

Oh.

It all becomes clear.

“Ah, Hoshino-kun.” She bows deeply. “This is all my fault.” 

“Huh? Y-your fault?”

“I’m sorry for not telling you all the facts up-front. It was because of my own misgivings that kept you in the dark and forced you to make your own conclusions.”

She’s been an awful friend, causing Hoshino to panic like this. She can see now: he’s only ever wanted what’s best for her. She sweeps her hair back, hoping he can see her regret. “I’ve caused a misunderstanding. I hope you can forgive me.”

“Oh... Saori-san…”

Hoshino whimpers like a part of him has died watching his senpai bow to him like that. He never wants to experience that distressing feeling if he can help it. “That’s in the past, Saori-san, I understand! Just tell me what I can do to help now. So… you used to have feelings for Mafuyu-san,” he thinks out loud, “but you’re telling me that’s not actually the case at all?”

“Essentially, yes.”

“So if it’s not for Mafuyu-san then what exactly are we doing all,” he waves an arm around, “this for?”

_ Spoken like a true investigator. _ She mumbles, shy.

He doesn’t hear. “What was that?”

“...For Mika-san,” she says aloud.

“Mika-san…” It takes a moment for Hoshino to remember. That was the hostess Saori befriended at Queen Rouge during her undercover mission in order to gather more details about Hashiki-san’s murder. That must mean...

He claps in realization, spooking Saori and hopping a mile high in his seat, yelping, “You fell for a cute hostess! Saori-san, the cool as a cucumber coworker, felled by one of the greatest beauties Kamurocho has to offer. Ah, so romantic! I never believed it would ever happen in a million years, but here we are...”

Too late Hoshino’s brain catches up with what he’s saying. He snaps his mouth shut but the damage is already done: Saori is shocked into silence, hair tossed messily in front of her face, shoulders shaking. He’s made her cry with his stupid flights of fancy and idealistic scenes of romance. Who is he to talk to his senpai like that, so familiar, not knowing when he’s gone too far? That was completely out of line for him to say. He scrambles for something to say, to scavenge what must be the tattered remains of their friendship.

Saori’s shoulders are still shaking. The hair has shaken away to show her face. She’s… laughing?

Her face is red with a fierce blush but it’s not from tears or pent-up sobbing. A glow arises; it’s one of happiness and relief.

“I didn’t mean to be weird about it,” he says with all the sincerity in the world, “I’m just happy for you, Saori-san. I really am.”

“Yes, I know. I was worried for nothing, Hoshino-kun.” Her smile is soft. “Let’s get back to our task.”

Information is always good to come by. Hoshino has learned that over the years, and it’s vital in his line of work. But it’s more than acquiring data, he knows. It all hinges on that transitory period, that in-between moment where people see what you  _ do  _ with that information, how you act on it.

“The date’s this weekend, at a restaurant nearby,” she pulls out a brush, dabs some powder, “later we’ll go for drinks and… see where it goes. Hm.”

Saori’s made her mind up. She liked what she saw in Hoshino, simple as that.

The brush boops his nose, powder flying everywhere, and it’s Hoshino’s turn red under the spotlight when Saori asks knowingly, a mischievousness he’s never heard injecting a new tease to her voice: “Maybe we can have a double-date someday. When  _ are  _ you getting around to asking out Sugiura anyways, hm, Hoshino-kun? Heh.”


End file.
